Reed-organ



G. B. KELLY.

l REED ORGAN.

(No Model.)

Patentedv Jul 5.. l rl. m

' Zar' llmllllln.

IUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE B. KELLY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REED-ORGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,820, dated July 7,1885.

l Application filed Ft brnary 5, 1885. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE B. KELLY, of Boston, in the county of Suiiolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Reed or Other Musical Organs, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object the qualifying or improving of thetone produced by a musical reed, in a reed musical instrument moreparticularly, so that such tone will partake of and be like a diapason,iiute, or pipe tone of a pipe-organ; and the invention consists, insubstance, in combination with a musical reed in connection with theusual and proper construction and arrangement of parts for sounding thesame in a musical instrument, of a tube, pipe, or hollow cylinder placedover and in communication with the reed-chamber of such reed, providedinternally with one or more transverse diaphragms or partitions, each ofwhich diaphragms or partitions has one or more openings or perforations,all substantially as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings is illustrated the presentinvention, Figure l being a view in vertical cross-section of a portionof a reed musical instrument with its musical reed, and having connectedtherewith a tube or pipe prepared according to this invention. Fig. 2 isa detail cross-section on line 2 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan view of oneof the diaphragms; Fig. 4, a vertical cross-section of one of the tubeswith its diaphragm; Fig. 5, a view in vertical cross-section, inmodificacation; Fig. 6, a plan view of a diaphragm or partition havingtwo openings.

ln the drawings, A represents a wind-chest of a reed musical instrument,B, a valve located therein over a passage, C, in the partition D. E is achamber above such passage O and communicating therewith, in whichchamber are two musical reeds, F G, in a reedblock, H, and over openingsJ K, to their respective chambers L M, each of which chambers has apassage, N, arranged to be opened and closed by a slide or register, P,having openings Q to correspond with the passages N whenmoved intoproper position therefor, the several parts being constructed andarranged to operate in connection with a force or pressure bellows, (notshown in the drawings,) proper communication being made between thewind-chest and said bellows, in the usual manner, all of which areconstructed and arranged for operation, as usual, in reed musicalinstruments, and needing no particular description herein.

R S are two tubes or pipes, made of'wood or of any suitable material andhaving open ends a b. Each tube is placed and secured in a socket, T, inthe block U, so that its lower end, a, will be overI and open to apassage, N, of its respective reed-chamber L or M. In each oi thesetubes is a transverse diaphragm or partition, V, which diaphragm has acentral vertical opening or passage, W", through it. The diaphragms orpartitions V are made of wood .or of vany suitable material, areinserted in the tube at any proper points and distances apart, andpreferably so as to closely lit the internal periphery of its tube tohold it in its position after being placed, and yet free enough to bemoved up and down therein, as desired, in any suitable manner.

Vith the wind-chest A connected with any suitable force or pressurebellows, and the slide or register P moved into position for itsopenings Q to be coincident with the passages N, and the valve B opened,air from the bellows passes from the wind-chest through opening C, toand through the reeds F G, intoy reedchambers L M, through the opening JK, and out through the passages N, openings Q, in slides, into andthrough the tubes R S, and the passages XV in their respectivediaphragins, and sounding the reeds.

The usual and ordinary tones produced by musical reeds, more especiallywhen .a force or pressure bellows is used without the tubes R or S andtheir diaphragms, are more or less harsh, disagreeable, and reedy;77 butby the use of a tube, B or S, with its perforated diaphragms applied asdescribed, the tone produced by the same reed will be entirely relievedof such harshness and reedy quality, and will be so qualified andimproved that it will be like or resemble the tone of a diapason orflute or pipe tone of a pipe-organ, the tone being smooth, round, andfull. The tone produced by such a construction and arrangement IOO oftransverse perforated diaphragms in a tube, as described, can be variedsomewhat by arranging the diaphragms in different positions within thetube relatively to the length of the tube and to each other-as, forexample, the tone produced by a reed with the arrangement of thediaphragms in the tube R would be softer and not so loud or brilliant asthe tone produced from the same reed through the tube S with itsarrangement of diaphragms, although each tone would still preserve thecharacter of a pipe-tone.

In arranging a series of such tubes with their diaphragms to a scale ofa number of octavos ot' reeds in a musical instrument, the tubesconnecting with the reeds producing the highest notes should preferablybe quite short, and the series should gradually increase in length downto the lowest notes, and when such short tubes are used it preferable tohave only one diaphragm or partition, as shown in Fig. t in verticaleross-section,which shows a tube with one perforated diaphragm suitablefor the upper or highest notes ot the scale. w

One diaphragm need only be used in any of the tubes ot' the series, ifdesired; but better results are produced in the tubes used for the lowerand bass notes by having two diaphragn'is, as shown.

rIhe locations ot the diaphragms in the tubes can be determined andarranged in any suitable manner-as, for example, by testing and tryingthe tones and adjusting the diaphragms by moving them up or down withinthe tube until in the right position to produce the quality ot' tonedesired, and when so adj usted they can, if desired, be secured in anysuitable manner to prevent accidental displacement. rIhey can be setpermanently or arranged to be moved as desired, or they can be arrangedto be adjusted in any other or suitable manner-as, Vl'cr example, asshown in Fig. 5, which shows in vertical cross-section a tube, It, intwo parts, X Y, one, X, adapted to closely lit over the other,Y, so itcan slide up and down thereon similar to telescope tubes. `As shown inthis ligure, one diaphragm, V, .is placed at the top of the portion X,and the other at the top of the portion Y, and by slid ing the portion Xup or down on the part Y the diaphragms will be adjusted as desired.More than two parts, X. or Y, can be used it' necessary.

The diaphragms can be arranged to be moved in the portions X. or Y so asto be adjusted in each portion as desired, and also more can be used ifdeemed necessary.

The diaphragms can be made ofilexible material-such as india-rubber,leather, &c. and secured in any proper manner.

The chamber E need only have one reed in lieu ol` two7 and in such caseonly one tube would be used, as is obvious.

Although the present invention is shown in connection with parts of amusical instrument constructed and adapted i'or operation in connectionwith a force or pressure bellows, obviously it can be used in connectionwith a musical instrument operated by an exhaust or suction bellows.

It' desired, more than two diaphragms with their respective passages IVcan be used;also the passages IV can be ot' any desired shape incross-seetion-such as elliptical, square, &c.-although it is preferableto have them round or circular. rIhe tube or pipe can also be of othershapes 'incross-seetion-such as elliptical or square, &e.-and thediaphragm can have more t-han one passage through it, as shown in Fig.G, which is a cross-section on same line as Fig. 2, but showing twopassages, V, in the diaphragm, and three or more passages can be made,if desired.

Although this invention is more particuularly described and shown inconnection with a reed musical instrument having reeds for the soundingdevices, obviously the invention can be applied to musical instrumentshaving other sounding` devices-such as pipes-and in such case the tubecould be part of the pipe itself, and provided with the Itransversediaphragms, as described.

I do not claim, broadly, a tube or pipe in combination with a reed andits chamber of a recdprgan, as such is not new, but,

IfIaving thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination,with the reed and its chamber, of a tube arranged above the register orslide, and provided with one or more internal transverse perforateddiaphragms or partitions, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

2. The combination, with the reed and ils chambenot' a tube providedwith one or more internal transverse perforated diaplnfagms orpartitions, arranged to be adjusted therein, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

3. rIhe eombination,with a reed and its reedchamber,of a tube providedwith one or more internal transverse perforated diaphragms orpartitions,and arranged to lit within a socket, T, in the block U,substantially as and l'or the purpose specited.

4. In a reed musical instrument, the combination, with its reed andreed-chamber, ot a tube made in two or more parts, one or more ot whichparts are adapted to slide on the other or others, and each providedwith one or more internal transverse perforated diaphragms orpartitions,V, substantially as and for the purpose specilied.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence ol" twosubscribing witnesses.

GEO. I3. KELLY.

Vitnesses:

EDWIN W. BnowN, IVM. S. BnLLows.

IOO

